Fireflies
by MadameLeRouge
Summary: A deep secret and an even deeper legacy...nothing is what it seems as Kurtis Trent makes a reappearance.
1. Unexpected

**I own neither Kurtis Trent nor Lara Croft or any of the nephilim characters. The other characters are of my invention, and any likeness to real people, either living or dead is entirely coincidental. **

**_Have you never played Tomb Raider or have no idea what's going on? Scroll to the bottom for background to this fic._ **

**ALL MY WORK IS SUBJECT TO PROFESSIONAL COPYRIGHT**

**I hope you like it - please let me know your thoughts!**

* * *

_The tall man outside the office block blended into the crowd impeccably._

_There was something about his demeanor, his stance and the sharp angles of his face that melted into the background in a purely surreal way._

_Or maybe it was his eyes. His stony, pervading eyes. Although the streets were busy with the rush hour traffic, not a single commuter so much as breathed on the tall stranger._

_He was dreading what he was about to do. Dreading, and perversely, yearning._

_It wasn't like he had a choice. His decisions had been cast in stone far too long ago to be revoked on the basis of sentimentality._

_In that moment, he could feel the mongrel blood running through his veins. He could feel the weight of its legacy and the pounding of its uncertainty, and he could do only one thing._

_The tall man strode up to the building, parting the crowds as he went, and with a strength he could not feel all the way to his cold heart, he set about his task._

* * *

Miss Croft carefully tried the first door. She felt the adrenaline plummet to her stomach as she sensed the click of an alarm, and relished the dread relief as a second click signified the opening of the door, and her entrance to a large, open plan room. After the monotonous grey walls of the hallways, this room seemed lavish. The solid oak cabinets that lined the walls and the plump brown leather sofas gave a richness to their surroundings. Even the windows that made up the furthest wall were impeccably spotless. Miss Croft raised her eyebrows. It was far too artificial. 

"Rooms this perfect simply must be hiding something, Zip." She said into her headset, peering up at the panelled ceiling. Zip grunted in reply.

"I don't like it." He mumbled. Lara shrugged.

"Suit yourself." She approached the desk sitting at the head of the room. Casting an expert eye around it, she spotted no sign of lasers or hindrances. Without wasting anymore time, she settled herself in the chair and began to rifle through the drawers.

There was little of interest. Some bills for office supplies, a book on teamwork and a drawer full of spare computer equipment. Truth was, Lara had very little to go on. Rumours were her main evidence, rumours and the somewhat shaky testimony of a dead politician. Allegedly, the company known as "Systamtel" had a careless habit of losing workers rather rapidly. And not just losing them. Removing them also, if what the politician had believed was true.

"Never trust a politician." Muttered Lara, as she found yet another sheaf of meaningless numbers. The source of her own interest was the additional titbit claiming that Systamtel's image as a medicinal drugs company was infact a façade for illicit dealings in powerful artifacts. Somewhat far fetched, but nevertheless a strange aura hung about the affair, and that inevitably drew the insatiable Miss Croft like a firefly to the flame. Lara drew away from the desk.

"Perhaps it wouldn't be quite that obvious…" She murmured, trailing a finger along the ridges of the desktop. With sudden determination, she moved forward again and turned the computer on. It powered up, whirring.

"That thing could be bugged!" She heard Alister sqwark.

"Then it might liven things up a little." She replied.

The computer flickered on, presenting Lara with a username and password. Except the password box was blank, leaving the little text icon relentlessly flashing up at her. But Lara was feeling reckless, and she performed the first of a series of dreadful mistakes.

She reached out, and tapped in the first word that came to her head. Her headset went crazy.

"What the hell are you doing, Lara –" Alister began.

"Yo, girl, wait already –" Zip interrupted, but both fell silent as she hit enters. The computer paused.

And all three of them waited.

A second later, the computer emitted a feeble twirp and shut down. Lara straightened up.

"Ah well, boys. I suppose I'll have to try a little harder to attract some attention up h - " And then she made the second big mistake. She stepped around the desk, treading on a now activated pressure pad. The hiss it emitted cut her off mid sentence. She froze, and in the next second the previously serene room erupted into action.

Before Lara could register the change of climate, what appeared to be four frosted glass panels shot up from around the desk, imprisoning her. Although she could see nothing, she heard footfalls and shouting as the door burst open and the room was flooded with people. Without wasting a beat, she drew her pistols and fired at the glass prison. Worryingly, it didn't budge. The bullet imbedded itself into the material instead.

"Oh dear." She managed, trying to block out Alister and Zip's whining in her ear and concentrate on escaping.

And then she heard the unmistakeable sound of several large guns being loaded. It resounded in her ears, and her gut clenched. It was a rare situation for her to be stuck with no way out, and the unfamiliarity was daunting. In a moment of angry delirium she kicked out at the walls. They didn't so much as quiver. The silence that followed was crystalline.

A heartbeat later, the room erupted again. Lara was thrown to the floor with a rush of impact. The noise began in an unholy cacophony of shouting and gunfire, though the loudest was the shattering of her prison. Opening her eyes from her position on the floor she saw something she'd never thought she'd encounter again. Something she almost didn't believe. Dumbstruck amongst the hail of bullets and the roar of shouting, she stared.

"Trent?!" She hissed. And all he managed in return was a glance over his shoulder and a long, slow wink.

She felt the familiar shock of electric dart between their locked gazes and sighed inwardly.

_I should have known he wouldn't just die quietly. _

* * *

**So...what's going on in Kurtis' head? Is there something going on that we don't realise?**

_(what happened in AOD - this is not my own storyline) Youtube is quite good if you want to see the actualy cut scenes, which I recommend._

_At the beginning of the game, Lara has just returned from Egypt where she was left to die amongst the rubble of a tomb by her mentor, Verner Von Croy._

_Von Croy asks her to come to his apartment in Paris - there is a killer called The Monstrum on the loose, who takes his victims innards and leaves a symbol on the walls in blood._

_At this point, all we see is Lara's recollection - she goes to the apartment, and refuses to listen to Von Croy's pleas for help. Von Croy panics, draws a gun, and a scuffle ensues, Lara blacks out, and when she wakes Von Croy is dead on the floor, the sign of the Monstrum on the wall. Naturally she is confused, but she hears the police arrive and escapes through the window. She is now on Paris' most wanted list._

_Von Croy also gave her a clue - he directed her to a woman who can give her a pass to the Louvre to continue his research._

_Eventually, after trekking around the streets of Paris, she finds this woman, who calls the police on her. She finds some weapons, but encounters an explosion. Unbenowst to her, she is being watched by a tall dark stranger on a motorbike._

_Lara flees to the Louvre where an archaelogical dig is taking place. The woman did however give her Von Croy's notebook. There are details of something called The Sleeper, a dead nephilim (angels condemned to earth) and paintings called the Obscura paintings. These give the bearer the power to resurrect the Sleeper and reap hell on earth. Naturally, Lara must find these first and destroy them - the notebook tells her someone called Eckhart is at the core of all this. There is also a mention of the Lux Veritatis - an ancient brotherhood of monks dedicated to keeping the sleeper and his followers dead. They have certain abilities designed to help them with this cause, including the use of something called the Periapt Shards._

_She gets to the dig and finds a vault, in which after many ordeals, she finds her painting. On escape, however, she finds that the Louvre is under seige - but whether it's the police or something more sinister she is unsure. She escapes to a large gallery, when suddenly something stops her. It's a shiny spinning disk, followed closely by Kurtis Trent. He frisks her and holds her up in silence. It's quite steamy ;) He then nicks her painting and weapons. They then run together. It's quite amusing. Basically he teases her and uses some sort of otherwordly power to blast things. At the end she gets out and finds him unconscious on the floor. She herself is then knocked unconscious, and a "friend" (later tries to kill her) wakes her later - no sign of body._

_Later they meet again in the Strahov, the headquarters of Eckhart's people. He locks her in an airlock, they then work together. It's kind of a teasing relationship going on. We discover he is the last remaining member of the Lux Veritatis and he has 2 Periapt shards._

_Later, after Lara has another painting Eckhart stops them both. Kurtis (that is his name. Oh, and he's American where she is English) is left to fend off this beast while Lara has to go and stop the revival of the Sleeper. Kurtis' battle ends with him getting some sort of wound, and then we see no more._

_At the end of the game, Eckhart is killed by Lara with the 3 shards, but then Karel, his 2nd hand man reveals himself as a real nephilim and the one behind it all. He says he's been helping her and morphs into some people from her journey, including Kurtis Trent. She is shocked but doesn't believe him. He says he has killed the last of the Lux Veritatis and is immortal, but this cannot be true as Lara then makes the whole place explode._

_He (Karel) disappears and the body of the Sleeper is destroyed. Lara flashes back and sees Eckhart kill Von Croy, but not after Von Croy had told Eckhart how to use Lara - which he did when getting the paintings._

_The last scene we see is Lara pick up Kurtis' spinny thing, his Chirugai, and leave._


	2. Unexplained

**Here's chap 2, slighty longer (as requested!) I hope y'all enjoy. Reviews actually make my day, so puuurty pweease?**

**I also had a request for simpler language, and although I originally had a glossary it looked a bit weird so I took it out. I guess I just have to write the way it comes out my head!**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

In the next second a shotgun pellet violently chipped the corner off the desk, missing Kurtis' face by millimetres. The spray of splinters caught Lara's cheek, but her gaze did not flinch. 

"I thought you were dead!" She managed, accusingly, barely making herself heard above the drone of semi automatics.

"Now is really not the time, Croft. I think – " He craned around the corner of the desk, "That's our cue to leave." In a flurry of movement he turned, still crouched, and aimed his mismatched gun carefully over the edge. His shot caught the aquarium at the back of the room, sending a wash of water and several tropical fish gushing over the assailants.

Without wasting another heartbeat, he leapt to his feet, hauling Lara up by the arm. He managed to drag her halfway towards the floor to ceiling windows before she regained her senses.

"Just you wait a minute." Drawing one pistol, Lara levelled it at Trent's head. "Ho – "

"No time." Kurtis managed impatiently, pivoting and picking off a guard that had avoided the water onslaught. Glancing up at her face almost apologetically, he steeled himself for her wrath. Without explanation, he flung one large hand around her wrist, while flicking the fingers of the other at the windows.

The result was jaw dropping.

The windows shattered, in one sychronised movement, raining glass through the many floors of air back down to the street. Before the guards could think twice, he sprinted towards the gap, dragging Lara in tow. Just as he was reaching the edge he released Lara's wrist and flung the arm around her waist instead, and without a backward glance, leapt out in the clear summer air.

_Oh, typical, _thought Lara, as she felt the wind hit her in the face. It was just her luck to be manhandled out the window of a 50 floor building.

"This wasn't your cleverest move!" She bellowed over the whistle of the wind as they began to drop. She desperately tried to focus her mind on the falling, rather than on the more pressing matter of their proximity. Clutched closely to him as she was, she could feel his solidness and smell the mingled Kurtis scent of gun smoke and musk. She was reminded briefly of their meeting in the Louvre – the closeness, the danger and the sensuality of it.

"Bugger!" She cursed as she caught herself in deer-in-headlights mode. The last thing she needed was to revisit the horror of Karel and the Strahov. Flicking her eyes upward, she spotted what she needed. Fumbling with her grapple, she flung it up at the wall brackets of the block opposite. Thankfully it found purchase, and their fall was pulled to an abrupt halt, jerking them both, and almost making Kurtis lose his now vital hold on Lara.

"You didn't have that last time I saw you." He drawled through gritted teeth as he struggled to retain his grip. However, the grapple had fixed onto the building opposite, and although their momentum caused them to stop, it also made their combined weight swing, like a pendulum, towards said building at an alarming speed.

"Santa gave it to me for being such a good girl." Lara quipped. "Brace yourself."

They hit the windows of the building with impressive force. The glass splintered minutely as the pair sailed through the frame and landed in a heap on the floor, just as the grapple snapped from the weight of two people. Lara rolled as she hit the floor to absorb impact, finishing in a wobbly standing position amongst the shattered glass. Kurtis took slightly longer to recover, rolling onto all fours and shakily straightening. By the time he faced her, he was looking down the barrel of her pistol again. It took all Lara's willpower not to succumb to the aches and pains but to stand tall.

"Explain. Now." She stated, flicking off the safety to show she meant it.

"Lara – " He started.

"I've as good as saved you from an untimely death, just there. But I will quite happily backtrack unless you tell me exactly what is going on." She was pleased to note how even her voice sounded despite the twisting of her stomach and suppressed shaking from the fall in all her muscles.

"I just…heard you were around, thought I'd come scope out good old British soil." Kurtis shrugged, avoiding her gaze and feeling the threads of guilt cast needles into his heart.

"So you just waltzed out of the Strahov, hung around for a year or two and then followed me." She said flippantly, her eyes narrowing. "My patience is wearing thin, Trent." Unconvinced, Lara kept her ground.

"I'm not sure this is exactly the right time." Trent hissed, looking around him for the first time. Sure enough, a quick glance told Lara that they appeared to have landed right in the middle of someone's business meeting.

Peering fearfully at them were six middle aged men in suits, seated opposite each other at a long mahogany table. The room itself was small, and crammed with bookcases and filing cabinets, with papers pinned all over the wall and spread over the table. A younger woman in the corner had her finger poised over what Lara deemed to be a panic button.

Her decisions were made in that split second.

_Trent can wait. This must not cause Systamtel to notice me any further. Oh, fuck it…_

She dropped her stance and pocketed her pistol in one smooth movement, turning to face the occupants of the room.

"Do pardon me." She managed vaguely. Before any more questions could be asked, Lara strode purposely out of the nearest available door, gladly finding herself in a corridor with a lift. Hopefully she had just enough time to escape before security arrived. And if they did...she was in just the right mood to let them feel her wrath.

Trent was bothering her. She had no idea how to react to his sudden appearance, and his distinct lack of explanation as to how he had escaped Boaz and the Strahov. She had lost her headset in all the commotion, amongst other things, and it was all his damned fault. And then there was the rather pressing matter of his little toy…

"You forgot something in Prague." She said, matter of factly as they stood in the lift. It felt a bizarre relief to actually take the safe way down for once.

"Something tells me you've been keeping it safe for me." Trent returned, sensing the underlying hurt beneath her coldness towards him. The lift stopped and Lara stepped out, making her way purposefully across the 1930s marble floor and reception. Pausing at the swing doors, she turned to face him with a hardness to her face that allowed nothing in or out. He faltered in his resolve. What if she disappeared again and he was unable to fulfil his promise? His blood ran cold at the very thought, yet the guilt bit deeper.

"Where shall I post it to?" She asked, her voice clipped. He couldn't help but notice how their time apart had defined her figure even further. Raising his eyes to hers, he felt the kick in his gut that reminded him headily of her fingers lifting his chin to meet her gaze in one of the airlocks in the Strahov.

"I think I'll have to fetch it in person," he replied arrogantly, in an attempt to hide his worry, "English mail sucks." He offered her that one sided grin of his, the wry, confident, endearing grin that lifted one side of his mouth and gave his eyes a naughty tint.

And Lara faltered. She felt her guard slipping and she allowed herself a miniscule smile.

_What the fuck am I thinking?_

"Well, if you ask very nicely, Mr Trent, I may be tempted to invite you home. That is, if you think you can face English transport." Kurtis felt the relief manifest itself in his even wider grin.

_Well that put your foot right in it, Croft. Next thing, he's going to smile again, and you'll go all weak-kneed and invite him to bloody live with you, dammit!_

* * *

**I originally had Lara telling them it was a crisis evaluation test, but reading back it looked too silly so I changed it. Hehe...**

**So...what do you guys think is going on? Some things are meant to be quite ambiguous, to keep you guessing at the unexpected...**


	3. Introductions

**So here's part 3...it's a bit of a nothingy part, but I promise piles of action in the next bit, honest!**

As always, copyright applies to all chapters.

* * *

Lara sat rigid in her seat as she drove herself and Kurtis Trent out of town. As they got further and further from civilisation she couldn't help but sneak a glance at him out of the corner of her eye.

Well, maybe one or two glances.

_Why on earth did I trust him? He has a tattoo, for Goodness sake._

From her discreet glances she had noticed the little sliver of stomach that was exposed where he'd tucked his gun into his waistband, and where his t shirt had caught on the handle at the back, giving her a view of a few inches of toned abs and side.

Curling across the tanned skin was the corner of a tattoo. She couldn't help but wonder what the whole thing looked like, and she had to bite back an urge to put out a hand and find out.

_Stop it. Stop! You've held the Excalibur in your very hands, Croft, and yet you can't handle the sight of some skin. Get a grip. _

Her hands tightened on the wheel. She couldn't help the images of Karel extending a hand to her disguised as Kurtis from bludgeoning across her mind. He had been trying to frighten her, it couldn't be anything else. She hoped.

_But then where had that painting Trent claimed as 'awol' really got to?_

In a sudden moment of pure terror, Lara's foot lifted off the gas and hovered over the brake. She turned to look over at him, mistrust glazing over her face.

And then, luckily for him, Trent did something that Lara couldn't deny. He shifted in his seat, and she caught sight of the gold signet ring on his hand. He used the same hand to push his hair roughly back from his face, before looking over at her.

"We haven't got all day. Can't this thing go any faster?" Replacing her foot on the gas, Lara smirked. Karel had been able to be him physically, but he surely couldn't mimic the very things that made him Kurtis. He just couldn't.

_Gone soft in your old age, Croft?_

"I do believe we're slacking." And she stepped on the gas, trying to leave her doubts behind her with the rubber on the road.

* * *

As they neared Lara's estate she felt a curious worry over what Kurtis would think of it. It wasn't exactly your average two bed semi, after all. As she pulled up to the gates Trent started to show signs of waking from the nap he'd been having. Lara raised her eyebrows at the drool threading down his chin. 

"Have we stopped for a reason?" He asked, peering out the window at Croft Manor.

"Home, sweet home." Lara returned, leaning out the window of the jeep to put the code into the gate. It scanned her prints and the vehicle, before the ornate gates opened to admit them.

"This…" Kurtis began. She watched with satisfaction as he gawped at her manor, jaw ever so slightly dropped. "Is home."

"Oh, I know it's not much, but I am rather attached to it." She smiled, glancing over at him. "Close your mouth, Trent." They pulled up the drive, and as Lara turned the keys in the ignition and hopped down from the jeep she couldn't help but grin at the awe still plastered over Trent's face.

Still. It didn't change anything. She had a nasty feeling that she was going to have a lot of explaining to do. Taking a deep breath, she surveyed the double doors before her.

_Now or never, Croft. You've come this far, and if he is going to kill you, at least it'll be in the comfort of your own home. _

Smirking, Ms Croft pushed the double doors open and strode over the threshold.

"I'm home!" She called, and waited for the onslaught.

She didn't have to wait long.

"Lara! You're alive!" She heard Alister cry, before he skidded around the corner of a pillar.

"I _told _you, she don't die!" Zip bellowed, coming to stand in the doorway of his office. "Even Winston knew that." He grinned widely.

"Did you miss me then, boys?" Lara returned, coming into the hall. Alister tried to look cross, but she knew he was pleased to see her still in one piece.

"Well, after your headset exploded I began to wonder whether your head had gone with it. We tried to wire the system…" Lara tuned out of Alister's detailed description as she noticed a door behind him open quietly and admit Winston into the room. He nodded, a fatherly smile just lifting the corners of his mouth. She allowed herself her first relaxed smile of the day. It was so good to see all that was so familiar, just where it should be. Alister waved a hand in her face to punctuate what he was saying, and Lara tried to listen again.

"…and so the router went offline and my data – " He stopped abruptly, looking past Lara. A quick glance at Zip told her that he also had completely lost interest in Alistair's story.

She turned around, and felt her a grimace rearrange her face.

_Oh, yes. Explaining Trent. Where's a diversion when I need one?_

Kurtis had wandered into the foyer and was obliviously gazing up at the rafters of the hallway.

"D'you pick something up while you were in London?" Asked Zip, masking his concern. Kurtis turned his attention to the other occupants of the room, frowning slightly.

"This," Lara began, fiercely searching for the right words, "is Kurtis Trent. My American deserter." The bitter inflection in her voice cut through the feigned humour of the name.

Zip, Alister and Winston had been briefly informed of the dark stranger's part in the Strahov episode, but the most potent memory in all their minds was the change in Lara's demeanor after the experience. She had developed a deeper hardness, like an even thicker emotional wall around her feelings, and had fenced their questions about the strange artefact she'd brought back with a ferocious protectiveness. Whatever the case, it just couldn't be good for her to be thrown back in to that world of hostility and death. And after she'd returned from Bolivia with her mother's mystery hanging over her, they'd all worried that she was teetering dangerously on the edge of something indescribable.

Alister folded his arms warily.

"I suppose _he_ has something to do with your somewhat rushed exit, then?" He demanded. Before Lara could answer, Kurtis cut across.

"Yeah…I only helped her escape the inescapable." He offered that one sided smile again, and shrugged. "I'll leave her to it next time." He grinned, and without waiting for an invitation, sauntered over to the sofa and flopped down onto it, ignoring the hostile gazes of the others. Lara raised an eyebrow.

"Do make yourself at home." And she couldn't shake the feeling that the sofa, now with him sprawled across it, looked so much more inviting.

* * *

Lara had just dropped onto her four poster when Alister appeared in the doorway. Sensing a presence, and still ever so slightly on edge, Lara had a gun in her hand in a matter of seconds. By the time she'd sat up Alister had adopted a cowering position. 

"It's me! It's me! Honestly, Lara!" Lara replaced the gun under her pillow.

"Well you do persist in chastising me for carelessness." Swinging her legs off the bed, she looked up at him, seeing him standing sheepishly upright again. "Did one of you see to Trent?"

"Well…he made himself at home…I left him to it." Alister avoided her frown.

"Alister! He's harmless." Lara implored.

"But _is_ he, Lara? How well do you know him, exactly? How can you be sure he's not going to double cross you? Hm?" Taken aback by Alister's insistence, Lara faltered in her resolve.

"I…"

"You can't." Alister sighed heavily. "I just don't want things to go horribly wrong. They have a nasty tendency of doing just that, Lara. You understand, don't you?" Lara tried hard to understand, she really did, but something rose defensively inside her.

"I understand that it's not any of your business, Alister." She said, her voice clipped. Alister's eyes widened, and he dropped back, his cheeks colouring. He fumbled with his words, retreating hastily. Lara instantly regretted her tired snappishness, but Alister was already at the door.

"Of course, of course, I should – I would – I mean, that is…" And he was out of the door, still stuttering. Lara let out the breath she'd taken to reply in a frustrated sigh. Trent seemed to have an inane capability to mess things up.

* * *

Ten minutes later, Lara stepped under the soothing jets of her power shower, enjoying the comforting effect on her tense muscles. Things were already getting complicated, yet she couldn't help letting herself be drawn further and further in. She'd brought him home, for Goodness sake. That really was putting her foot in it. 

A creak brought her abruptly back to reality. She froze behind the frosted glass door of the shower – it hadn't occurred to her that she might need a gun in her own shower. Every muscle poised, she waited.

A few long, drawn out seconds later she heard her CD collection clatter to the floor in the adjoining bedroom.

And then a muffled curse followed. Lara straightened.

_He wouldn't dare…_

"Hello?" Lara heard Trent call. She nearly stamped her foot in frustration.

"I'm in the shower, dammit!" She yelled, exasperated. She heard him pause for a moment.

"Is that an invitation?"

Lara's hand flew to the shower door, but she stopped herself just in time. Although she would like to smack him over the head, it would probably best to do it when dressed.

"Absolutely not!" She bellowed, feeling her temperature rise at the thought of both of them in the shower.

"I'll wait for you in here, then?" He asked, though she swore she heard him sniggering. Her clothes, however, were in the walk in wardrobe. Getting there would entail a naked sojourn across her bedroom apartments, something she was quite used to doing when alone, but had no intention of doing in Trent's presence.

"Go and wait downstairs." She called, curtly.

"Yes Ma'am." She heard him return quietly. Nevertheless, when she came out of the bathroom, she peered around the door first. She only relaxed when she saw her space was empty.

_Just as well. You never know what these Americans might get up to._

* * *

**Like I said...more proper action in next chapter. Puuurrrlease let me know what you think!**


	4. Intruders

**Well here we are again...I was real quick this time. yay**

**I'll be ever quicker if I get more reviews, hint hint!**

**As with all of it, my work is copyright. I don't own any of the characters.**

* * *

Once Lara had thrown on some fresh clothes, she made her way downstairs to find the inescapable Trent. It had taken far longer than necessary to choose said fresh clothes – in the end she'd opted for a plain black, strappy tank top and fitted black shorts. 

_You're turning into a silly teenager, Croft. Who honestly cares if you choose the grey top or the black one??_

However, she knew it had been worth it when she found Trent at the bottom of the staircase. Once he'd looked up he didn't seem to be able to take his eyes off her, and she felt a curious satisfaction at that. After all, he'd only seen her in her torn combat gear so far.

"Catching flies?" She asked, reaching out a hand to close his somewhat drooping jaw. He caught her fingers in his before they could act, and held her hand in that position before them. At the sudden and almost intimate contact Lara froze with the heat that rose up into her cheeks. It took a second for her to remember what she'd been about to say.

"We'll go and get your little trinket, then?" She said abruptly, removing her hand roughly. Kurtis smiled at her in that one sided way again, and stepped back to allow her past.

"My chirugai." Kurtis said. "Yeah. That." Lara looked back at him from her position in the foyer.

"This way." She said, waving in the direction, but he still hesitated. "The sooner you get it, the sooner you can get back to whatever lone Lux Veritatis warriors occupy themselves with." She couldn't quite manage to disguise the harshness in her voice that stemmed from being sure he was going to leave her stewing for another year or two. She also was beginning to rethink her trust idea, as he had made no move to explain himself properly as of yet.

And she was enjoying watching him squirm over having to ask her if he could stay a while. She shook out her still wet hair a little.

"I was kinda hoping I might…" He waved a hand. "Stop by for, um, a day, or…something." Lara bit back the smile she felt creeping up on her as she watched his discomfort.

_Stop it, Croft. You're just doing it to hide how you really felt about him leaving you. _

"Oh?" She prompted.

"I won't get in the way…I just…I don't really have anywhere else to go." He laughed emptily after his admittance, shifting his weight and looking uneasy. Lara felt her heart strings pull a little.

"I think we can probably fit you up with something." She paused. "Temporarily." Trent caught the warning in her voice, but ignored it, straightening up and grinning at her. The chirugai could wait.

"I don't suppose there's any chance of a Chinese then?" He said, relaxing once again and shedding the vulnerability Lara was convinced she'd glimpsed.

* * *

After dinner, which to Kurtis' dismay had not involved Chinese, he found himself wandering about the manor. Lara had such a sense of direction about the place, like she always had something to be doing. It made him feel like a spare part. 

And he needed to focus. Focus on getting everything right, focus on remaining in situ, and focus most importantly, on fulfilling his promise. Just the thought of it sent a chill of fear down his spine.

It was becoming increasingly difficult. Lara was distracting – her paradoxically feminine smell, her provocative outfits, her milky skin, her long, sexy, wet hair hanging down her back…even her attitude was drawing him in. And she treated him so coolly, almost as though she didn't have a care for him in the world.

_Dammit! Control yourself. You're not fifteen anymore. _

Shaking his head, he turned and peered into what appeared to be Zip's office. Bits and pieces of technology were cast about the room, all emitting whirrs and bleeps and faint electric light. Casually he strolled in, not particularly paying any attention. He really needed to get his testosterone in check. Raking his hair back with one hand, he stopped before a computer screen and stared carelessly at the glass above it.

He analysed his reflection in the glass. His hair had grown – some loose strands brushed the back of his neck, and the bits at the front where hanging down into his eyes. The rest of it just flicked up at odd angles.

His shoulders still looked strong and broad, and his stomach taut beneath his shirt. The dark brooding eyes that looked back at him felt haunted, and he had to turn away to quash the rising tide of his own fear and guilt.

_What are you doing here, Trent? Are you prepared to do this to her?_

He was prevented from thinking on the subject anymore by the tinny ringing of a mobile phone. It took him a second to register that the annoying jingling was coming from his pocket. Slightly frustrated with the invasiveness of modern technology, he fished it out of his pocket and looked at the screen.

Dread, cool and frightening, rushed through his veins, and with resignation he pressed the answer button.

"Yes." He frowned as he listened to the sharp voice on the other end.

"Well?" It demanded.

"It's what you wanted." Kurtis managed, with some difficulty.

"You are sure?"

"Lets hope so." He said, resigned.

"Good. Continue." And the caller hung up, leaving Trent ready to swallow back his trepidation. He nearly jumped a mile when he heard a voice just behind him.

"Just your Mammy, loner boy?" Zip said, his voice laced with sarcasm. He stood up from where he had been crouched, fixing a computer. Kurtis had been so wrapped up in his thoughts that he hadn't thought Zip might have been buried in all the equipment. He quickly gathered his attitude, and tried to match Zip's sarcasm with his own.

"No, it was my gun toting Gran from Texas." And he made a swift exit from the room, before Zip could realise he'd been mocked.

* * *

Later that evening, Lara determinedly led Trent the longest way around her maze like mansion on purpose, just to make sure he couldn't burst in on her in the night and compromise her dignity. 

_Not that you'd protest if he did. _

"Your buddies, downstairs…they don't take kindly to strangers." Trent said, interestedly peering at every crevice of the mansion as they went.

"My boys, you mean? They don't mean anything. They simply like to look out for me." She was reminded suddenly of her argument with Alister earlier and she felt hideously guilty.

Shaking her head to expel the thoughts, she turned a final corner and flung open a door to reveal the room Winston had made up earlier. It was grander than Trent was used to, with a double bed complete with hangings, an ensuite bathroom and a plush beige carpet. It was small, yet cosy.

"There." Said Lara, and made to leave him to it, but he stopped her.

"Where's your room?" He asked, bluntly.

"Elsewhere." She answered, carefully keeping a blank face. She turned to go again.

"But what if I…need something? Or, or have a bad dream?" Trent called at her now retreating back. Without stopping, Lara called back to him over her shoulder.

"I'll send Winston to tuck you in." She grinned. This game between them was becoming quite fun. Especially considering that she felt she had the upper hand.

A few minutes later, Lara flopped down on her bed, feeling the weight of the day hang heavily on her. She let drowsiness wash over her, images of Trent flickering on the back of her eyelids.

_If only he could be trusted…_

* * *

Lara was awoken sharply by an ominous thump from downstairs, sometime in the early hours of the morning. Her eyes shot open, noticing that the moonlight was still slanting through the windows into her room. She carefully sat up, shaking an ache from the awkward sleeping position out of her leg. She was still dressed, though her shoes were discarded somewhere by the wardrobe. 

A second thump, this time louder, sounded downstairs. Reaching under her pillow, Lara retrieved her Desert Eagle. She grabbed some clips from the drawer, and padded across to the door, loading them as she went. The resulting click filled her with adrenaline. It wouldn't be the first time someone had infiltrated her manor – she would have to chide Zip later. If indeed someone had got in.

She flung open her door and turned into the corridor, brandishing her gun at every corner.

_Come on, you bastards…I'm in no mood for hide and seek._

Advancing, Lara found nothing in the corridors. When she eventually reached the door to the landing above the hall foyer, she waited, and listened.

Sure enough, another thump, this one more distinct reached her ears. She turned the handle as slowly as she could, wincing at the creak it emitted. Slipping through the gap, she hung back in the shadows, hugging the wall.

A flash of light distracted her for a millisecond, and she dropped her weight and raised her Eagle to the opposite landing. A split second of scrutiny caught Trent, in a similar stance, the shafts of moonlight shifting across his face as he moved. He had no shirt on, just his pants, and he was also shoeless. His hair stuck up at the back, where he'd slept on it. If the situation hadn't been quite so dire, Lara might have been amused. As it was, she felt far from amused.

Catching the other's attention, the pair acknowledged each other. Lara held up a hand, signalling him to wait. She inched forward, so that she could peer down into the foyer.  
As she did so, she distinctly heard voices, just out of the window that she'd been sure hadn't been open that evening. She paused, lowering her gun.

_That's funny. Winston always cl-_

She was cut off abruptly by a blast that shook the entire mansion. Lara was thrown back against the panelling, landing in a heap on the floor. Her Eagle skidded away from her along the corridor. Peering through the banisters, she saw that the explosion had taken out one of her front doors and a large section of wall, not to mention the floor tiles and probably half the windows. In the eerie silence that followed the detonation, she fumed silently.

_Come out, come out, wherever you are…_

Sure enough, the first unwelcome visitor stepped over the debris and onto her premises.

Lara froze.

The intruder was equipped with gas mask and blue overalls, and was toting a tear gas bomb.

_Now where have I seen you before? Oh yes. In the employment of a crazed nephilim in search of an Obscura painting. What a coincidence. _

In the next second, Lara pulled herself up, rolled and retrieved her gun. As soon as it was in her hand, she leapt up onto the balustrade and leapt expertly, firing off as she went. The intruder hit the ground just as she did, having barely even registered her presence.

Lara landed hard, absorbing the impact with a crouch. Glancing up, she caught Trent's eye, and jerked her head towards the entrance. She backed up against the main staircase, carefully edging around it to peer through the hole. They'd manage to cause reckonable damage, and Lara did not take kindly to tear gas toting intruders who blew her house apart.

Catching sight of another hint of blue, she dashed out from behind the staircase, firing as she went. This time, there were two more in range, and she caught sight of a jeep parked outside through the hole.

Her first shots missed, and they didn't hesitate to pump a semi-automatic round into the fireplace beyond her. By that time, she'd thrown herself behind a column, and before they could turn around, she'd taken them both out.

Again, everything went silent. Looking up, Lara saw Kurtis sidle down the stairs, familiar mismatched gun in his hand. She was so busy admiring his sculpted chest and what she could see of the tattoo she'd noticed before that a bullet grazed her column, making her jump in surprise. Frowning at her stupidity, she stepped out and picked off the assailant.

"I'll go out to the back. You stay here and clear up any…visitors." Lara hissed to Kurtis, and without waiting for an answer, she darted away, determined not to have to divert herself from staring at his muscles anymore.

Kurtis nodded more to himself than to her. He was not going to be popular later – she would blame him because these guys were inextricably linked to him and the Louvre. Nevertheless, he had no more idea what they wanted than she did.

He crept around the corner, and peered into Zip's office. He almost walked away, but had to double take when he caught sight of Zip crouched in the corner, holding an unloaded gun and actually physically shaking. He slipped in, raising his hands in silence when Zip started and waved the gun at him. Delving in the pocket of the trousers he'd managed to throw on, she fished out some ammo.

"You ok?" He asked, offering Zip the bullets. Zip eyed him warily.

"I din' ask for nothing, man. I din' ask to be part o' Lara's damn game neither, and now I'm waving a fucking gun!" He hissed, his voice getting higher and higher.

"Calm down. Take these. Stay there and you should be ok." Kurtis placed the ammo on the nearest counter, where Zip eyed it fearfully.

"Is' alrigh' for you. I'm just a sittin' duck." Trent opened his mouth to answer, but his otherworldly sense spotted a presence in the hall.

"Just stay there." He said, turning, and returning carefully to the hall.

However, when he got there, he found nothing. Lowering his weapon, and frowning, he turned a full circle.

_I know you're here somewhere, son of a bitch…_

But he found nothing. Dropping his stance, he looked up at the staircase.

A split second later, something shifted behind him, and he just had time to turn and face his attacker as they attempted to whack him across the face with the butt of their gun.

The blow glanced off his shoulder, a sharp edge catching the skin and opening a wide gash. The shock of impact knocked him back and he reeled from the sudden pain, staggering back. He had enough presence of mind to fling his hand and power at the assailant, sending them flying back, and their gun flying from their hand.

As soon as they landed, he fired and finished it.

He grasped his shoulder, circling it and rubbing it to ease the bruise he knew must be forming. He also remembered a similar wound he'd nursed in a similar location…he'd received it not long before he'd come here – indeed, it indirectly had something to do with what he was doing now…but it was definitely something he didn't want to relive.

He made his way to the front to check for any more intruders, but before he'd so much as set foot outside, the jeep parked before him fired up and with a squeal, performed a hasty u turn. It gained quickly, heading for the exit.

Without thinking twice, Trent shot out the tires, feeling a sinister satisfaction when the vehicle swerved and skidded. Reacting instinctively, he shot at the back as it got doggedly further down Lara's huge drive, realising his mistake only at the last moment.

"Shit!" He yelled, throwing himself down just as the fuel in the jeep caught, and the entire thing exploded with a massive rush of gasoline and heat.

* * *

**Some action, as promised. If you review, I'll come review your fics. Puuuurrlease??**


	5. Aftermath

**Feedback muchly appreciated on this part - introduction of a new...thing. I don't want to give it away!**

**As always, copyright applies etc. Enjoy!**

* * *

Trent slowly raised his head from beneath his arms, lying prone as he was in the eerie silence that followed the gasoline explosion. It had taken out the front gates, most of the adjoining wall and pretty much all the surrounding foliage. 

Lara was not going to be best pleased.

He eased himself into a seated position, brushing off the dirt and eyeing his wounds. Aside from the gash and ache in his shoulder from the attack, there was a sliver of glass imbedded in his chest, just above his scar, and some scrapes across his stomach from where he had flung himself to the ground. The heat of the explosion had singed his hair, and the soles of his feet didn't even bare looking at.

As he continued to pick himself up, a thought dawned.

_Lara._

He stopped brushing gravel off his pants and froze. She'd said she'd gone out the back.

His blood ran absolutely cold, and fear gripped his gut mercilessly.

_What if she was in the jeep?_

His knees gave way in the sheer weight of dread and horror that rushed into his consciousness. Slumped awkwardly, he stared unseeingly at the still smoking form of the jeep, his breath rasping in the effort, but he was numb to the pain in his feet and the searing in his gut, as each second increased the terror in his veins.

"Fuck, no…" All his hoarse throat managed was a mere gasp.

He'd hauled himself upright and was about to sprint headlong down the extensive drive when he heard shifting of rubble behind him. He pulled himself up so sharply that he nearly toppled over, and turned to look, gun in hand.

"So much for being the hospitable host." Lara managed, as she clambered through the remains of her front door. Her top was torn, and one of the straps had fallen down around her shoulder. She was covered head to toe in dust.

Trent didn't skip a beat.

He dropped the gun and covered the few steps between them, flinging both his arms around her, holding her tight. Only then did he believe she was real.

Kurtis's relief quickly transcended into something sensual. He was far too busy feeling her skin against his to worry about the wreck of a house behind him.

Mildly surprised, Lara gave in to her own relief – when she'd heard the explosion she'd been positive Trent had had something to do with it, and for a moment she'd almost believed it had taken him with it. She relished the closeness to him, allowing herself to enjoy the comfort of another person, and especially enjoyed having his strong back beneath her hands.

_Earth to Croft: he may smell delicious, but you certainly do not, and if Zip sees your little cuddle, you'll never live it down._

Sure enough, she detected shuffling in the foyer, followed by loud cursing, and she swiftly broke away from Trent, veiling the emotions in her eyes and extracting herself rapidly from his grip. She was very careful not to look into his face, or at his bare, scarred chest.

"What the fuck was all tha'?" Demanded Zip, as he emerged cautiously, confident now he knew the two explorers had removed all the intruders.

"Unwelcome guests.." Answered Lara, surveying the damage and carefully avoiding looking at Trent. "The audacity."

"You ain't half made a mess." Zip observed helpfully. "Winston'll have a field day." Lara smiled. Her home had been reconstructed so many times due to mishaps that the destruction, although inconvenient, was not the end of the world.

"We've dealt with this sort of situation before." She frowned at Zip. "We won't mention how they got past the security system." Zip cowered.

"Woops." He backed away a little.

Trent watched as Lara set Zip about assessing the damage, and he reflected for a minute. Worryingly, his spontaneous hugging hadn't been anything to do with the plan, or the promise. Nothing at all. And that was not a good sign.

_You let other things get the better of you. You're just not prepared for this!_

"Kurtis?" He woke from his reverie at Lara's question.

"Hm?"

"You need cleaning up." She surveyed the damage – he altogether did look a rather sorry picture.

"I've had better days." He answered, smiling that one sided smile of his.

"You go inside, and I'll fetch some bandages." Lara smiled. She was not going to let herself enjoy this.

_Well…maybe a little bit._

* * *

When Lara eventually made her way back to where she'd left Trent – the only clean sofa, in the drawing room – it was not without a smile on her face. She had found that Winston had secured himself in the freezer for safety during the attack, but now he was happily sorting out the repairs. She'd spotted Alister emerging fearfully from the secret passage in the library, but she hadn't stopped. After all, she was on her way to bathing the rather muscular chest of a rather dashing man, and their disagreement was still fresh in her mind. 

When she re entered the drawing room, Trent was staring into the distance, tracing his thumb mechanically over his thick wiry scar, tracing from under his left peck to just level with his belly button.

"How did that happen?" She asked conversationally, as she set down the bowl of salt water and the box of bandages and antiseptic she was carrying. She perched on the edge of the low coffee table so that she was directly opposite him, and able to reach him. Their knees touched disconcertingly as she sat down, and like a teenager she snatched them away the instant they'd made contact, already being far too aware of how close they were. She carefully focused all her attention on the scar she'd just asked about.

"Oh…that." He bent his head to look. "Nothing major, really. Just a case of mutant scientist…bird…bug thing that attacked me right after I sent you off with a certain painting." Wryly, he raised his eyes to hers, and she caught a haunted glint in his eyes, hidden beneath the charm. Seeing it was sensitive, she decided to veer off the subject. At least his answer gave her some understanding of what had happened to him. She nodded, and looked away. She had her own haunting memories of the Strahov to keep her up at night. And she had a horrible, niggling feeling that had arrived with the previous night's intruders - it was far from over.

"Which one hurts the most?" She asked.

"Not sure. Will you bathe that bit first?" He got a very naughty gleam in his eyes. "Cos if that's case, it's the one on my ar - "

"I'm not kissing anything better for you." Lara interrupted sternly. She knew exactly what he was going to say, and she did not want him to see her, the intrepid explorer, blush. He grinned, and she felt something punch her in the gut.

_Crap. You're already falling apart. Get a bloody grip!_

"Keep still." She demanded, taking up the flannel saturated with salt water. The unsympathetic tone in her voice was immediately contradicted by her relaxing and moving closer, letting her legs rest against his. She felt the solidarity of his strong thigh against hers and it made the same little creature punch her stomach again.

The instant the flannel touched the gash on his shoulder, he squealed.

"Fuck, woman!" He managed, jerking backwards. She smirked at the inflection his accent gave to the words.

"Can't the superhuman American handle a little salt water?" She asked innocently, laughter in her eyes. Kurtis' own eyes narrowed, and he darted forward and gave her a little shove. She instantly shoved back.

"I told you to keep still, Trent." She said, seeing him shift his weight in preparation for a second attack. She was feeling the frisson leap between them and she didn't want him to have any excuse to get any closer.

_Because if he gets any closer, I may be tempted to give in…_

Kurtis hesitated, then relaxed. She brandished the flannel again, and started to pay attention to the gash. It stung, but he could manage it. As she became intent on cleaning and dressing it, he watched her. Her clever hands busied themselves industriously with the task, and as she worked, she relaxed and came closer and closer, until her face was a hairs breadth away.

He soon became distracted from her face, however, as the same strap of her top that had been falling off earlier slipped off her shoulder and laid across her bicep, revealing a good couple of inches of bra. It also led him to think of other scenarios in which it might fall so…

_Man, you need to run around the block and let off all this steam._

He cleared his throat abruptly and looked away.

Luckily, at that moment Lara finished and sat back a little, and the silence was broken..

"There." She turned her attention to the glass imbedded just below his collarbone. Although she appeared to be all business, her calm exterior was covering a very flustered Lara indeed. His proximity and her awareness of it left her skin a tingling, burning mass and the smooth skin beneath her fingertips was sickeningly tantalising. It didn't help that she could feel his smouldering blue gaze fix on her, and his now familiar smell pervade the air when she was close to him.

Trying to rise above it all, she reached out and attempted to pull free the glass shard. He reacted instantaneously.

"Shit, that hurts!" He jumped, making her retract her hand.

"It has to come out, or it will go septic." Lara said, pleased with how even her voice sounded.

"Oh, no. I'll be fine. Just don't touch it." He said, wincing and sitting back. Lara frowned. She was serious about the glass, and annoyance was beginning to override the other things scuttling around her head. And so she made her mistake; she looked up, and met his gaze.

And a preposterous solution came into her head.

She knew that if she hadn't looked into his face, she would never have considered it for more than a millisecond. As it was, she had already forgotten rationality. She told herself that it was the only way to get that dangerous glass out of his chest.

_It's not like it would mean anything more than him not getting blood poisoning…yes, you can put it down to medical reasons. And the trauma. Of having your house blown apart, that is. _

Trent, wound still stinging, noticed that as soon as Lara met his eyes, something shifted in her. Something he wondered whether he should be afraid of. He didn't have much time to think on it, though, as she leant across the space between them and in the next second he tasted her on his lips.

She kissed him desperately, urgently full on the mouth, and he met her force with his own. One hand wrapped around her neck and pulled her closer to him, and the other snaked around her waist and held her to him. He let the hand slide from her neck down to the shoulder he'd noticed before and relished the soft skin beneath his calloused hand. He felt her lips move roughly over his and his heavy breath escaped as he opened his mouth and softly slipped his tongue into hers. She responded headily, flicking her tongue over his. He could feel the heat of her and the burning in his gut, the taste of her and the feel of her –

And then a sharp pain in his chest area, and she was gone from his grasp.

By the time he opened his eyes and controlled his senses, she was no longer cradled in his lap, but standing before him, brandishing the piece of glass that had been in his chest.

"I told you it had to come out, one way or another." She stated, pretending to examine the shard. He didn't miss the croak in her voice, or the almost imperceptible shake in her hand. But it bothered him that she had done it just to make him keep still.

_Or maybe that's what she wants you to think._ _Well. Two can play at this game._

"You don't waste any time, do you, Croft?" And it satisfied his still racing heart to see her blush, just a tiny bit, at the edges.

* * *

**I'll write the next bit uber fast if you tell me what you think of the kiss scene. Yes, reviews are stimulation. Clicky below please!**


	6. Aftercourses

**First of all...sorry for the wait! It must have been what, a year? I've been SO busy. Well, now I'm back in the Croft loop, so to speak, I'd best start off with a recap of the story so far. Just so no one has to go and read everything back (though don't let me stop you!). If you don't remember things I recommend a quick look back as pretty much every detail is a clue. :) Also, even if you've commented before, I really do appreciate more feedback :D**

**Chap 1 begins with a view of an anonymous, tall man, purveying a tall building. We are not told who he is or what he is doing. We are then thrown in a room with Lara, who is investigating Systamtel, a dogdy company. She triggers an alarm, gets trapped, and when things clear realises that it seems as though she has been saved by Kurtis Trent, who she has not seen since the Strahov.**

**Chap 2 continues directly on. The pair escape explosively through a window to another office building, and Lara reveals her mistrust of Trent.**

**Chap 3 details their journey home to Croft Manor, where more trust issues arise and Trent meets the boys, Alister, Zip and Winston, who are also mistrustful. It is confirmed that everything in Legend has happened. Alister and LAra fall out over Alister's suspicions.**

**Chap 4 carries on with a quick focus on Trent, who receives a phone call. Croft manor is dramatically broken into, and as the familiar blue overall clad intruders try to escape, Trent makes their jeep explode.**

**Chap 5 shows a brief clean up period where Lara and Kurtis share a passionate moment.**

**And onto Chap 6, continuing straight on, finally - copyright applies as usual, and reviews are always really, really appreciated.**

* * *

As Miss Lara Croft wandered blindly into the corridor she could still feel the strength of Kurtis Trent beneath her fingers, and she could still remember the rough softness of his hands on her exposed skin. All the worse, she could clearly remember the feeling of complete, safe respite from all that surrounded her, a feeling she'd only ever encountered in armoured vaults and underground libraries. Never, ever, in the arms of a man.

_Mere silliness, _she tried to tell herself, noticing with dismay that she couldn't convince her thumping heart of the frivolity.

A sharp jolt brought her hastily back to reality, as she tripped forcefully over a piece of rubble that looked as though it might once have been part of her roof. She kicked it vindictively, frustrated at her own weakness. She was glad for the distraction when she heard Zip calling from his office.

"Lara? That you? C'mere, I've tracked you some bits an' pieces." She hefted her nose up, once again lady of the manor.

"Coming, Zip. This has better involve messy revenge, or better yet, some of those fantastic African traps."

* * *

Kurtis Trent, meanwhile, was exactly where Miss Croft had left him, cradling the large empty space she had so tangibly occupied. He was throwing ideas around his head, still not quite able to process what had happened. The only thing he was certain of was that it had to happen again. Soon.

_Surely it's an invitation. Surely, _he mused, though somehow he got the feeling that he couldn't just approach her about it. He drew in a deep breath, trying to step away from the heady sensations surrounding him.

_How the hell am I going to do what I came here for?_

He shook himself. _Get to it, Trent. Work the means of your own freedom. _

* * *

Lara tuned desperately in and out of what Zip was saying. He'd got some of his friends in, and they were going over what was left of the intruders. Most of the details were ambiguous and unhelpful, and she really wanted to be someplace else. Someplace that involved a certain blue-eyed American.

"Hold it - I'm just gettin' somethin' through - " Lara woke up as Zip's machinery whirred and whined. He suddenly began to look worried.

"You're not gonna like this." He stated, shiftily avoiding her piercing gaze.

"Oh?" She prompted, eyes narrowing. It was at that moment that Kurtis decided to waltze in.

"Did I miss anything?" He interrupted, swinging around the doorframe and approaching them. Instinctively, Lara stiffened, but didn't look away.

"You're just in time, actually. Where's Alister got to?" Lara stated, keeping impersonal, and remembering briefly their falling out of the previous night.

"Good. I wouldn't wanna miss anything ho - "

"Indeed. To the point, please Zip. I'm quite feeling the need to blow something up." Lara cut across what she knew would be something suggestive from Trent, really not wanting to blush again. They were in whatever it was together now, and business and pleasure never mixed well. Zip was eyeing them both carefully, noting the sultry smirk of Trent surveying the stand offish profile of Lara.

"Well, we're checking out what's left of the jeep," He glared at Trent, "And I've been tracing it's journeys and origins. It woulda taken 2 seconds if someone hadn' blown it apart." The glare got deeper. Kurtis shrugged.

"Sometimes a man's gotta do what a man's gotta do." And he went back to examining his nails. Zip looked about to retaliate, but Lara intercepted.

"Boys, contain your testosterone, please." She waved a hand at the computer. "What did you find?" Once again, Zip looked uncomfortable.

"Well, the Jeep had your usual knock off Japanese parts, American axels, reinforced German glass etc, but was infact registered to..." He winced in preparation. "Prague."

Lara felt her whole inside retract, revulsed by just the mere mention of the place that brought back so many disturbing memories. Of all her adventures, and of all the things she'd seen, that which she'd encountered in Prague was by far the darkest and most disturbing. Even Amanda's beast did not come close to the terror a Nephilim could reap on the world. She recalled the image of it's parched, drawn skin and evil, pointed features. She was so absorbed that she forgot to check Trent's reaction. As it was, when she looked up again, Zip was peering suspiciously at him, and Alister was silhouetted in the doorway of the office. He looked extremely uncomfortable.

"Prague? You're sure?" She managed. One little link didn't make it Nephilim. One little link _couldn't _lead to the Strahov.

_But then who's to say what happened to him in the Strahov?_

"Well, yeah, I'm sure. There's something else. "

"There always is." She sighed.

"According to the remains of the sat nav on the jeep, next destination was the Louvre. Tomorrow at 7pm." Lara visibly deflated. Just as she'd been getting close to Avalon, she was going to have to shelve those plans that were so close to her heart, and deal with the other situation that threatened another issue of the heart.

"How can you be sure if I blew up the jeep?" Kurtis cut in unhelpfully. Zip frowned and went to reply, but Lara got there first.

"They followed _you_ here, Trent, so they want you for something. I just happened to be in the way, or so it seems." She paused, turning to him. "Now would be a very good time to explain how you happened to be in the same Systamtel office as me." She noticed a flickering in his eyes as he slowly opened his mouth to answer her, but this time Zip got there first.

"Aaand," Zip continued, "the technology in the jeep was all Systamtel. All of it."

"Aha. This must be our missing link then. My politician must have had some of his facts right after all. But it still doesn't make everything clear." Lara began considering their next move, but Alister stepped forward.

"I contacted a friend at the Louvre, and it so happens that there is a function there tomorrow, to start at 7, to celebrate a new collection, to be revealed and unveiled to the select group invited." He smiled sheepishly, not quite meeting her eye. "I wheedled my way to a ticket, but I think you'll need to approach this one carefully. The Louvre are still suspicious that it was you who sabotaged their excavations last year."

"Which you did, to get the painting." Finished Trent, who was idly spinning Zips pen on the desk without actually touching it.

"But we don' want anyone getting that or we won' be very popular with our insurers." Annoyed, Zip slammed his hand down on the pen, but Kurtis was too quick, flicking it up so that it evaded the hand and slipped behind Zip's ear instead.

"Get the smart car ready, Zip. I think this might warrant a new dress."

"Can I help?" Offered Trent, and by the look on his face she had a good idea that he meant with her dressing. She flapped a hand at her boys as she left to dismiss the idea. What with handsome Americans with superpowers and the possibility of crazed Nephilim worshippers on the loose, it really was not easy being Lara Croft.

* * *

The following day, Miss Croft stood in her hall, carefully checking her appearance in the makeshift mirror Winston had cunningly placed on the mantlepiece. Kurtis Trent spotted her there as he made his way down the stairs, and he softened the sound of his footfall, enjoying the sight of her being vaguely feminine. She had indeed found a dress, a full length, black silky number that dipped between her breasts and glanced softly over her figure. She had certainly made a commendable effort. The bit she didn't know, however, was that he was joining her, whether she liked it or not. He had the feeling it would be the latter, but he'd still persisted in his efforst. He'd even cajoled a tux from Winston. The entire affair was keeping him distracted, exactly what he needed. He knew the Louvre show must have something to do with their plans and the promise, but he had no idea how. He was simply an instrument.

_And how I fucking hate it, _he mused, feeling again the familiar stabs of guilt. He shook it off nevertheless, and silently approached her from behind. When he was a couple of steps from her, he cleared his throat and adopted his best English accent.

"Your carriage awaits, Mademoiselle." He managed, and he enjoyed the surprise in her face and she spun sharply around and assessed him from head to toe, still somewhat peeved at not having noticed him.

"Where do you think you're going?" She demanded, adeptly countering the wave of attraction that accompanied the suit. It clashed wonderfully with his messy, tousled hair, a bit longer than when she had seen him in Prague.

"With you. Where else?"

"There's only one ticket. Besides, my accomodation and journey are all booked and sorted, and you'll simply get in the way." Lara dismissed the idea of him accompanying her, envisaging how he could mess up her plans.

"I'll manage. You really have no choice - if there is Nephilim behind this, you'll need me and my Lux Veritatis blood. You forget that I can...do certain things." He wiggled his fingers, and Lara began to realise that he was right. She offered a tiny bit more fight.

"But I haven't got the time to fetch your chirugai. You can't go without that." She tried to add force to her words, but she knew she was beaten. Besides. It could be fun, sharing a mission, being together, alone...

_But your self control will have to be otherworldly._

"No problem." Kurtis said, and holding his hand up skywards, he called his chirugai. Lara only realised what he was doing when she heard the sound of breaking glass, and she just had time to duck as a familiar yellow glow spilled into the room. It sliced through the air and neatly nestled in his hand, closing into the seemingly harmless disk shape.

"You never were one for doors." Lara managed, flicking her hair and making for the exit, where she knew her boys were waiting to send her off in her private helicopter. She decided now was not the right time for discussing the chirugai and its strange behaviour, something she'd been so bemused by that she'd taken to staying well away from the obtrusive little disk. There would be another time. Meanwhile, Kurtis took her reply to mean he could go, and tucking his sorely missed chirugai into his jacket, he followed her.

* * *

As they came in to land in Paris, Kurtis tried not to stare too openly at the lights of the city. He still couldn't quite believe he was shacked up in a mansion, travelling around by private helicopter. He came back to reality as he felt Lara tug gently on his sleeve. When he turned to look at her, she pointed down at the Louvre, the whole courtyard iridescent with light. He leant over to look, and without thinking, smiled up into her eager face to show his delight. For a second their shared pleasure leapt between their smiling eyes, and he felt a comfortable lurch in his chest area. For that moment, they were nothing more than two ordinary people innocently sightseeing. For that second, looking into her transformed, natural face it seemed the most natural thing in the world to lean across and kiss her, but as soon as the thought crossed his mind he forced himself to remember why they were doing what they were. As quickly as it came, the moment was soon broken as they both looked away, painfully aware of each other and the enormity of the weight on both their shoulders.

Before too long, they had landed on solid ground, and Lara was hopping out of the helicopter, arranging her dress and hair.

_Anything to distract myself from Trent in that tux. _

She shook herself. For a second there she'd been in serious danger of losing herself in those blue pools of his. Not a good idea. Not a good idea at all.

She managed to focus herself instead on their aim. Which in itself was difficult, as neither of them had any idea what they would find across the threshold of the Louvre. They began to see movement and lights, as there were carefully uniformed attendants swarming everywhere as well as extravagant lights and special open space performers. Lara took a quick tally of exits and numbers, seeking out any tiny, necessary details. Just as they approached the first archway of the courtyard, Trent stopped. Lara assumed he was checking his apparatus, and so she also conducted a swift check of her earpiece, concealed weapon and hidden microphone. When she was ready, she turned to the courtyard and made to stride across it. Trent however, didn't appear to be following. She turned around, and Trent was struck by the beautiful V of pale skin that stood out against the black dress on her back. He bowed theatrically, waving one hand before him.

"M'lady." And he offered his arm, looking every bit the gentleman. "I believe this requires your loyal escort?" The corner of his mouth lifted in a mocking smirk, but his eyes belied the truth. _This is as near a date as we'll ever come, _he found himself thinking, as he watched her face fall into a stunning smile. _And do I detect a slight glow around your sharp edges, Miss Croft? _He continued, satisfied.

"So it would seem." Lara replied, retracing her steps and slipping her arm through his, allowing herself the radiant smile she felt creeping up on her.

_Business; paintings and Nephilims. Repeat, paintings and nephilims. And again, paintings and nephilim, _she told herself as they approached the main entrance looking every bit lord and lady of the manor.

_You just keep telling yourself that, Croft._

* * *

**So concludes chap 6. I hope there wasn't too much dialogue and too little action - the next part will probably be quite explosive. ;)**


End file.
